Giving Thanks to Our Ancestors - A Samhain/Halloween Meditation Ritual

Most people recognize Halloween as the holiday when kids and adults of all ages dress up and either trick or treat door to door or attend parties where you can be whoever you want, for a night. But Halloween has a deeper side - the pagan holiday of Samhain, feast of the ancestors.

Traditionally, on the evening of Samhain (pronounced Sow-hin) the veils between the worlds are the thinnest of the entire year, making it easier for those who have crossed over to visit us, and for us to contact them.

Many people create special altars to their deceased family and ancestors in their homes. These can consist as something as simple as a few pictures, to more elaborate altars using favorite items that belonged to the loved one or ancestor, or things that represent who they were in life. Often, a feast is prepared, with favorite foods of the deceased being cooked, and small portions being placed on the altar. The next day these foods would be placed outside as an offering to the nature and animal spirits.

Hecate, the goddess of the underworld and those who have crossed over, also known as the Crone, is the guide of this day. For those who practice Wicca or other versions of Earth/Nature Spirituality, death isn't a dark or evil thing, it's just part of the balance of life and the natural order of things. We are born, and we die, and we are born again. Hecate is a guide to both those who would contact ones who have passed, and to those who have crossed over.

The following meditation is for honoring and giving thanks for those who have gone before us. Whether they are our relatives, lovers, friends or teachers, we can give thanks to the lessons we have learned from, the gifts we have received from them, and maybe receive a communication back. This is not meant to be a fool-proof way to call the dead - this is a gratitude ritual. Used with an open mind and an open heart, communication with the other side is possible, but it doesn't always happen. The purposed of the meditation is for giving thanks.

If you have pictures of those you want to give thanks and honor to, that is helpful, or you can hold an image of them in your mind. Lighting a candle is also often helpful with focusing for meditation. If you wish to make an altar, you can also decorate it with herbs and plants sacred to Samhain - pumpkin, acorns, and sage are several. Pick a time that you will not be disturbed, and a quiet place to perform the meditation.

Light the candle, sit quietly and breathe deeply, breathing in four counts and out four counts. Feel yourself rooted to the earth. Silently give thanks to the earth energies, to the Gods/Goddesses, the directions - whatever you hold as sacred in your own spiritual tradition. Give thanks for the earth energies that protect you during this meditation and ask your own guardian spirits/animals/angels to be with you and let no harm come to you.

When you are ready, picture the first of those you wish to give thanks to, either by first gazing at their photo, or by holding their image in your mind. When you can see them clearly, give thanks for the lessons and gifts they gave you in life. You can either do this silently or out loud, whichever is more comfortable for you. It is also the time to ask for guidance or communication from someone who has passed. When you are done, sit quietly, try to still your mind, and see if any words or guidance come to you. When you feel complete, move on to the next person.

Remember that if you ask for a sign, it may not come during the meditation ritual; it could come at another time, and be as subtle as a special feather found on a walk. Just be aware and watch the world around you. Signs from those who have passed are often very subtle and will have meaning to only you.

When you have completed giving thanks to the people you wished to include in the ritual, sit quietly for a while, then give thanks again to the energies, protective spirits and deities that you called in the beginning, and release them back to the world. Give thanks for the protection you were given during the meditation ritual, and then blow out the candle.

Giving thanks to our ancestors and teachers is something we can do everyday, not just once a year on Samhain. But on the night that the veils between the worlds are thinnest, it is a good way to show our appreciation for those who have gone before us, and will be there to show us the way when we cross over.